So Much for Paradise
by Hauchen
Summary: A little alternate take on the scene where Claudia stabs Vincent, because I'm a loser who wanted him to live.


"Do you really think it can kill God?"

Claudia stepped closer. Her gaze was firmly fixed on Vincent, the bloodied dagger still grasped in her hand. Heather felt her heart skip a beat.

"I'm sorry to see you fell for my father's foolishness".

The dagger rose high and suddenly Heather was moving, her body rushing forward before her brain could register what she was doing.

"No!"

She barrelled into Claudia like a freight train. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as they toppled backwards, the dagger flying into the air and clattering to the floor somewhere in the darkness. Heather had seen enough death. There was only one person who needed to die right now and, as much as she disliked him, it wasn't Vincent.

"Alessa! What are you doing?!"

Claudia pushed the teenager away and both of them stumbled to their feet. Heather had so many furious, venomous words snapping at her tongue but before she could vocalise them a bolt of pure agony tore through her skull. She cried out, hands to her temples, and sunk back to the floor. The air itself felt as though it was suffocating her, and through the haze of pain she saw her skin turning into a dark and ugly red.

"Just accept it, Alessa. The pain will disappear".

And there was Claudia's voice, as calm as ever, sounding clear and strong above the noise that filled Heather's head.

"Heather..."

In stark contrast Vincent was hoarse, barely clinging to consciousness. Heather ignored them both and focused on the one voice that mattered. The voice most dear to her heart. The voice that Claudia had taken from her.

 _Dad..._

"Oh, I've been waiting so long for this!"

Claudia was speaking again, and even without looking at her Heather could see the smile on her face. Lord how she hated that smile...

"Even as a child I saw the coming of this day. I knew that I would be a witness to it. Judgement Day!"

No. There was no way that Heather was going to give her that satisfaction. Forget judgement. Forget paradise. The only thing that would take place here was revenge.

The redness began to subside.

Slowly, shakily, Heather rose to her feet, eyes blazing with determination.

"Shut your stinking mouth, bitch!"

Her fingers wrapped around the pendant her father had given her. It popped open with a soft, barely audible click, revealing the little red tablet sitting inside. Before Claudia could speak Heather had grabbed it and slipped it into her mouth, forcing it down. Even from beyond the grave her father was looking after her.

"Alessa, what have you done?! What did you swallow?!"

Heather managed a brief but smug smile before pain once again racked her body and drug her down to her knees. She cried out, hands curling into tight fists, skin once again red as she felt something working its way up her throat. Her stomach muscles clenched and the hideous taste of slime and blood and death filled her mouth.

Something black and worm shaped hit the floor. It twitched and spasmed, unready for the air that filled its developing lungs. Behind her, Heather heard a faint chuckle escape Vincent's lips. Even if he was still on his back, fading gaze on the ceiling, he could hear what had happened.

"Looks like God didn't make it", he rasped.

Heather couldn't stop the smirk from crossing her face.

"So much for paradise", she said, and she raised a foot to put an end to Claudia's precious God.

"Stop!"

And now Claudia was shoving her, pushing her away from the writhing little worm. Heather stumbled backwards and nearly tripped over Vincent. She heard the priest grunt as one of her feet collided with his shoulder but she paid him no heed.

"Alessa, you cannot kill God!"

Claudia knelt down and scooped the worm lovingly into her hands.

"I...I will birth God!"

And before Heather could stop her, Claudia had brought the worm to her lips and forced it into her mouth. Heather's face twisted into an expression of pure disgust and her stomach threatened to eject its contents yet again as she watched, unable to tear her gaze away, as Claudia _ate_ the worm.

"If you can't do it, Alessa, I will..."

The pain was clear on Claudia's face as the same redness that had consumed Heather now spread across her own skin. She stumbled backwards, cries of agony escaping her crimson lips, and approached the large hole at the back of the room.

"No!"

Heather reached out, but Claudia was gone, her body vanishing into the darkness in the depths of the hole. For a moment all was silent. Heather stared into the hole and then glanced back at Vincent. The priest had gone eerily quiet and she hurried over to him, fishing a health drink from one of the pockets on her vest.

"Here".

She knelt down, slipping it into his hand.

"Take this. I'll come back for you, okay?"

And then she was on her feet again, not caring to wait for a reply. She walked back over to the hole, readying her sub-machine gun, her heart pounding fiercely in her ears.

"Heather...what are you going to do?"

She didn't look at him.

"I'm going to end this".

And she jumped.


End file.
